Typographical casting machine



Get. 3, 1933. G. A DQXEY 1,928,831

TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 7. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNE Y; M K

Gd. 3, 193:5. A, DOXEY 2,928,831

TYPOGRAPHICAL GAS TI NG MACHINE Filed Jan. 1952 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORBY 7 Oct. 3, 1933. G. A. DOXEY TYIOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 7, 1932 m s w IN VENTOR A TTOR Ys PatentedOct. 3, 1933 TYPOGRAPHICAL CASTING MACHINE George A. Doxey, StatenIsland, N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporationof New York Application January 7,

20 Claims.

This invention relates to typographical casting machines, such aslinotype machines of the general organization represented in U. S.Letters Patcut to O. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532, wherein circulatingmatrices are released from a magazine in the order in which theircharacters are to appear in print, and then composed in line, thecomposed line transferred through an intermediate channel into avertically movable first elevator which carries the line to a slottedmold, the mold filled with molten metal to form a slug or linotypeagainst the matrices which produce the type characters thereon, and thematrices thereafter returned through a distributing mechanism to themagazine from which they started.

While these machines are capable of handling a variety of matrix fonts,it is frequently desirable to cast a few lines from some particular fontor fonts notcarried at the time in the machine, and in such instances itis customary either to compose the matrices by hand in the assembler orto employ a special form of hand stick in which there may be composed byhand matrices of regular or machine-composed size or matrices too largeor otherwise not intended for machine composition.

The present invention contemplates certain improvements in the machinewhich will permit hand-composed matrix lines to be handled with muchgreater ease and facility than heretofore. To this end, specifically,the structure of the intermediate channel is made to include a detach-'able section which is provided with means for converting it into a handstick when detached. In its converted state, the detached section iscapable of handling not only matrices of the different sizes requiredbut in addition the regular linotype spacebands, so that a line composedtherein may be justified in the same way as if composed directly in themachine. After a line has been composed in the detached convertedsection, the latter is reapplied to the machine and then restored to itsoriginal or normal condition, it being'understood that the composed linewill then be supported in the intermediate channel in the regular way.The line is now transferred by hand into the first elevator whichpresents it to the line clamping, justifying and casting devices in theregular way, the line being handled precisely as if it were composed inthe machine itself and forwarded automati 1932. Serial No. 585,205

(c1. BSD-26) elevator bar and the latter carried upwardly for a slightdistance above the upper transfer channel, the spacebands at the timeremaining in said channel. At this point, the operation of the machineis manually arrested, and the matrices stripped off the second elevatorbar by hand. The machine is then restarted and allowed to complete itscycle of operation, the spacebands thereby being restored automaticallyto the spaceband' magazine of the machine. Of. course, if desired, thespacebands could be removed by hand from the uppertransfer channel atthe time the machine is brought to rest for the hand removal of thematrices.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely inpreferred form andby way of example and as applied to a commerciallinotype machine, but obviously many changes and variations may be madetherein and in its modeof application which will still be comprisedwithin its spirit; It should, therefore, be understood that'theinvention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except in so,far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is'a front view of a portion of a linotype machine equipped withthe present improve- 'ments;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the intermediate channel with a line ofhand composed matrices positioned therein, the receiving end of thefirst elevator being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of theparts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the intermediate channel showing the matrixretaining bar and end Walls of the detachable sectionor hand stickthrown back into their inactive position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing acomposed line supp rted in the hand stick;

Fig. 6 is an end view of the hand stick detached showing a composedmatrix line supported therein; and

Fig. '7 is a detail face view of a regular twoletter matrix.

In the normal operation of the machine, the matrices X and spacebands Y(Fig. 1) are released from their respective storage magazines X and Y bythe manipulation of a keyboard (not shown) and are delivered, one at atime, to the assembler A wherein they are stacked in line under theinfluence of a star wheel a. When the line is completely composed, theassembler is raised into registry with the intermediate channel B andtrips the delivery slide C, which thereupon transfers the line from theassembler through said channel and into the vertical movable linetransporter or first elevator D. By this, the active, stroke of thedelivery slide, the machine cycle of operation is inaugurated andthelast matrix of the composed line is located immediately behind a pair ofspring retaining pawls d (Fig. 2) arranged at the receiving end of thefirst elevator. The elevator now descends to present the composed lineto the mold, where it is properly justified between the usual clampingjaws preparatory to the casting of the slug. After the slug castingoperation, the first elevator D is raised to its uppermost level and theline transferred therefrom into the upper transfer channel E (Fig. l)the matrices at this time being caused to engage the second elevator barwhich carries them upwardly for distribution into their magazine X andthespacebands being left behind in the channel E and later returned totheir magazine Y 'Ihe'matrices X, one of which is shown in detail inFig. 7, are representative of the regular two-letter variety, while thematrices X shown in Figs. 5 and 6, are representative of the headletteror display variety, the former being provided withtwo superposedcharacters at of small size and the latter with but a single character(1: of much larger size. The individual matrices of both varieties areformed as usual with the upper and lower projecting ears 11: .10 and theV-shaped I distributing notches :0

The spacebands Y are of regular construction, each comprising therelatively fixed wedge-shaped member 11 and the movable longer.wedge-shaped member 11 these members being slidably connected togetherso that the longer members may be driven upwardly to expand the composedlines in effecting justification. Theshorter members g of the spacebandsY (see Fig. 5) are formed at their upper ends with V-shaped clearancenotches 11 corresponding to the distributing notches x of the matrices,and also with projecting ears 11 by means of which the spacebands aresustained during their circulation through the machine.

In the use of the two-lettermatrices X, it is customary to compose themat an upper level in the assembler A to bring their lower charactersinto casting position, or at a lower level therein to bring their uppercharacters into casting position; whereas, in the use of the head-lettermatrices X it is customary to compose them at the lower level in theassembler and to arrest the first elevator in a slightly raised positionwith reference to the-mold so as to bring the single characters 1: ofthese matrices into propercasting position. l i

As best shown in Fig. 4, the structure of intermediate channel Bincludes mainly,'a front side wall B and a rear side wall B these twowalls being screwed together in predetermined spaced relation andsecured to the front of the machine frame. To givethe individualmatrices and spacebands of composed lines the required support "in theirpassage through thechannel B, it is provided with three pairs ofsuperposed hori-- z'ontal rails b b b The uppermost pair of rails b isdevoted to the spacebands Y, being arranged to "cooperate with theprojecting ears y thereof,

. while the intermediate and lowermost pairs of rails'b and b aredevoted to the matrices. The rails b are adapted to cooperate with theupper projecting ears 1: of the matrices if composed at the lower levelin the assembler A, and the rails 13 are adapted to cooperate with thelower projecting ears x of the matrices if composed at the upper levelin the assembler. The intermediate rails b are therefore common to boththe regular matrices X and the display matrices X while the lowermostrails b are individual to the two-letter matrices X.

The several pairs of rails b b and 1) are formed directly on front andrear anti-wear plates 13 and 3*, the inner faces of which are groovedlongitudinally at 12 and b to produce the uppermost-and lowermost railsb and I) respectively, and recessed at 11 to produce the intermediaterails b Ordinarily, these wear plates B and B are secured to therespective side walls B and B of the intermediate channel and thusconstitute permanent parts of the machine. According to the presentinvention, however, the front plate B for reasons presently to appear,is

vfastenedto a removable section F of the front wall B which latter, asshown best in Figs. 4

and 5, is cut away at the top or made lower than usual to accommodatethe said section.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the section F is detachablyconnected to the wall B by means of latch pins or detents B and issustained thereon in a truly vertical position by a pair of bankingscrews 12*. The latch pins 13 (Fig. 3) are slidably mounted in suitablehousings B and are arranged to engage in'corresponding apertures f (Fig.4) formed in lugs F projecting from the front face of the removablesection F near the opposite ends thereof. Each latch pin B isheid in itsactive or looking position by a compression spring 19 and is retractibleat will, to break its engagement with the corresponding aperture f, bymeans of a finger grip or handle I)? projecting forwardly from the pinthrough an elongated slot b formed in the associated housing BThebanking screws b are mounted in the upper edge of the front wall Bbehind the latch pins 13 and are arranged to engage the lower edge ofthe'section F when it isattached to the chan nel B. A flat spring Bpivoted at its lower end to the front wall B and reacting against thesection F, tends to press the latter rearwardly about the pins B as afulcrum and maintain it resiliently engaged with the banking screws 22With this arrangement, the section F may be instantly disconnected fromthe channel B for removal by merely swinging the spring B downwardly outof engagement with the section F to the position indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 3, and then withdrawing the latch pins B from engagementwith the lugs 15. I

Considered as a separate and independent element, the section F in sizeand weight is suitable for use as a hand stick, as intended, and inadapting it for such use, it is provided with a pair of fingers 1between which a line of matrices and spacebands may be composed as wellas with a bar 1? for holding the composed line in place upon thesupporting rails.

In this instance, the bar'l is V-shaped and arranged to engage in theV-shaped notches formed in the upper ends of the matrices andspacebands, being hingedly connected to the section F through the mediumof a pair of integral arms P, which latter are mounted on cross pins fand guided in vertical cuts or notches 13 formed in the upper edge ofthe plate B The notches 13 present each a vertical portion b and aninclined or beveled portion b which serve respectively through theirengagement with the arms F to locate the bar F in its active andinactive positions (compare Figs. 6 and4). V

..The fingers F (as shown in Fig. 5) are attached tothe Opposite ends ofthe barF in order that they may be carried out of engagement with thematrix line as the bar is swung to its inactive position, this latteroperation being effected manually after the section F has been restoredand locked in place on the structure B. However, to permit angularadjustment of the fingers, as may be desired during composition, theyare pivoted to the. bar F by screws I which exert sufficient friction onthe fingers tomaintain them yieldingly in any position to which they maybe moved. The arms F of the bar F may likewise be maintained underfriction by their pivot pins f for the sake of convenience in handlingthe stick and also to facilitate composition of a matrix line betweenthe fingers F I V} While the hand stick above described (see Fig. 6)presents but a single side wall B the matrices and spacebands will beproperly supported and held in place thereon both during and aftercomposition. Thus, the inner face of the plate B (as may be noted inFig. 6) is shaped to fit between the upper and lower projecting ears ofthe matrices and hence will restrain them against endwise displacementand keep them at all times engaged with the rail b it being understood.

that during composition of a line the section F will be held normally ata backward inclination or in a semi-horizontal position. The spacebandsduring composition will be kept in line by the engagement of theirprojecting ears 1 in the groove b" of. the plate B and, if need be, maybe held against edgewise displacement by the bar F which can be setin'the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6. Whencomposition is completed and the line receives support at both ends bythe fingers F the bar I is moved to the position shown by the full linesin Fig. 6, where it fits snugly within the V-shapednotches r of thematrices and the corresponding notches of the spacebands and therebyserves to hold the line inplace upon the plate 3, preventing anyedgewise displacement of the matrices or spacebands or lateraldisplacement of the line as a whole. It hardly needs to be stated thatwhen the matrices are supported on the rail 1), their V-shaped notcheswill be aligned with those of the spacebands, so that the bar F mayfunction in the manner just stated. In the useof the section F as a handstick, matrices will not be composed on the lower rail 1) and itspresence could be omitted altogether, were it not for the fact that thesection, when not employed as a hand stick, must match up with the rearwall of the intermediate channel in handling machine-composed matricesstanding at different levels.

' According to the foregoing improvements, whenever it is desired toconvert the movable section F of the intermediate channel B into a handstick, it is first detached in the manner before described, and the barF then swung overto the .position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.6,

, rices facewise as they are stacked in line, and

when the line has been completely composed, the

bar pushed down to the full line position shown in Fig; 6. The finger Fat the right, which determinesthelength of the line, may be placed inposition during composition or swung down after the last matrix has beencomposed, as may be found most convenient. With both fingers F and thebar F in place,the line is firmly supported in all directions, and thewhole unit may therefore be handled with all convenience and safety.

In applying the section F with the composed line to the machine, thelatch'pns B are retracted within their respective housings to clear thelugs F and the section then pushed rearwardly on the banking screws b tocarry the projecting ears g of the spacebands and the upper projecting'ears 0: of the matrices into engagement with the rails b and b of thestatfonary rear wall B of the channel B (see Fig. 4). The latch pinsBare now released and allowed to snap into the aligned apertures of thelugs F and" the retaining spring B is turn-ed upwardly infront of thestick to hold it in upright position as determined by the banking screws22*. The only remaining operation required to prepare the line fortransfer from the channel B into the first elevator D is that of swngingthe bar F and the attached fingers F forwardly out-of engagement withthe line to the idle position shown by the full lines in Fig. 4. In thisoperation, the fingers F may engage the front face of the rear plate Bbut, being pivoted to the bar F they will yield about ther pivotal axesand finally assume a horizontal position out of the way of the composedline as the arms F of the bar approach the bottom walls or the notches BThetransfer of the composed line is effected manually, and the properposition thereof as it comes to rest'in'the first elevator D isdetermined by the spring reta ning pawls d, the operator being able tofeel the action of these pawls as the last matrix of the line is pushedpast them. The operationof the'machine is now started by meansof theclutch control handle common to all commercial linotype machines, andthe composed line is handled automatically in the customary way, theline being locked up" and justifled and a slug cast therefrom in thewell known manner. as the cycle proceeds and the transporter rises intoregistry with the upper transfer channel E (Fig. l), the matrices of theline are transferred onto the second elevator bar (not shown), fromwhich they are stripped by hand after the operation of the machine ismanually arrested, and the spacebands are delivered to the storagemagazine Y or removed by hand from the transfer channel. Of course, thematrices could be run pi if desired, in which case the machine would beallowed to complete its cycle of operation without interruption.

Having thus described my inventionfwhat I claim is:

1. In or for a typographical casting machine adapted to handle matricesand spacebands formed with projecting ears, a hand stick including, incombination, means for supporting the matrices and spacebands of acomposed line bytheir projecting ears at one side only of the line, and.means for holding the line against displacement on the supporting means.

2.- In or for a typographical casting machine adapted to handle matricesand spacebands matrices and spacebands of a composed line by theirprojecting ears, and means for holding the line against displacement onsaid rails} 3. A hand stick as specified in claim 2, characterized bythe fact thatthe said holding means include a bar arranged to cooperatewith both the matrices and spacebandsfor restraining the composed lineagainst lateral displacement, and a pair of end walls for restrainingthe line against endwise displacement.

4. A hand stick as specified in claim 2, characterized by the fact thatthe matrix supporting rail is formed on a plate which fits against thecontiguous edges of the matrices between their upper and lowerprojecting cars so as to support them edgewise andmaintain themindividually against longitudinal displacement on the said rail.

terized by the fact that the spaceband supporting rail is formed by agroove extending longitudinally of the side wall of the stick andwherein the projecting ears of the spacebands engage.

6. In or for a typographical casting machine adapted to handle matricesand expansible spacebands, a hand stick comprising a single sidewall,means for supporting the matrices and spacebands of a composed linevertically thereon, a bar hinged to the side wall for preventinglateraldisplacement of said line, and a pair of fingers mounted on thebar for sustaining the line endcombination with means for supportingthemat rices and spacebands of a composed line in casting position, of achanneled structure from which said line is transferred to thesupporting means, said structure including a detachable section adaptedfor use as a hand stick when detached.

9. In a typographical casting machine, the combination with-means forsupporting the matrices and spacebands of a composed line in castingposition, of a channeled structure from which said line is transferredto the supporting means, said structure including a detachable section,and means mounted on the section for converting it into a hand stickwhen detached. V

10. A channeled structure as specified inclaim 9, characterized by thefact that the detachable section is formed with means for supporting thematrices and spacebands vertically by their projecting ears, and thatthe converting means therein referred to consists of a bar movable intoengagement with a composed line for holding it against lateraldisplacement on the supporting means, and a pair of fingers movable intoposition to act as end walls for the composed line.

11. In or for a typographical casting machine adapted to handle matricesand expansible spacebands formed with. projecting ears, a channelstructure comprising a detachable section convertible at will into ahand stick, said stick including a pair of end walls, a single sidewall, rails formed on the side wall for supporting the matrices andspacebands of a composed line by their projecting ears, and abar'movable into en- 5. A hand stick as specified in claim 2, charac-'7. A hand stick as specified in claim 6, characside walls for supportingthe matrices and spacebands of a composed line during'transfer tocasting position, the front side-wall of said structure including aflxedlower section and a detachable upper section, means carried by the uppersection for converting it into a hand stick when detached, and means forlocating the said section in the proper position relative to the rearside wall when it is applied to the machine.

13. A channel structure as specified in claim 12; including latch pinsfor locking the said removable section in place, banking screws forsustainingthe section in a truly vertical position, and a springforholding it resiliently engaged with said screws.

14; In or for a typographical casting machine adapted to handle matricesand expansible spaceba'ndsformed with projecting ears, a channelstructure comprising an integral rear side wall iormed with horizontalrails, and a front side wall made up of a fixed lower section and adetachable upper section formed with horizontal rails corresponding tothose of the rear Wall and serving in conjunction therewith to supportthe matrices and spacebands by their projecting ears, said upper sectionbeing provided with a pair of lineconfining fingers movable to activeand inactive position and with a retaining bar likewise movable toactive and inactive position, whereby said upper section may beconverted into a hand stick when detached.

15. In a typographical casting machine, the combination of 'a linetransporter, and a matrix guide channel arranged for alignmenttherewith, one wall of said channel being removable at will and useableas a hand stick for the composition of a line of matrices therein.

16. In a typographical casting .machine, the combination of a linetransporter, and a matrix guide channel arranged foralignment therewithand having rails formed on its opposite walls for supporting matricestherein by their projecting ears, one wall of said channelbeingremovable at will and useable as a hand stick for the composition of-aline of matrices therein.

17.'In atypographical casting machine, the combination of a linetransporter, and a matrix guide-channelarranged for alignment therewith,one wall of said'channel being removable at will and useable as 'a handstick for the composition of a line of matrices therein, andsaid wallbeing equipped with means to hold the composed line in place thereonwhile it is removed from the machine.

18. In a typographical casting machine, the combination 'of a linetransporter, and a matrix guide channel arranged for alignmenttherewith, one wall of the channel being removable at will and useableas a hand stick for the composition of a line of matrices therein, andsaid wall being provided with a bar pivotally mounted thereon andadapted to be heldin engagement with the line of matrices to preventlateral displacement thereof, and a pair of fingers pivotally attachedto the opposite ends of said bar and adapted to form end abutments forthe composed line of matrices.

19. In a linotype machine, the combination of the vertically movablefirst elevator, the vertically movable assembling elevator, and thestationary intermediate channel arranged to align with the firstelevator when the latter is in its normal position of rest and to alignwith the assembling elevator when the latter is in its up-' tory totheir delivery to the casting mechanism, of a typographical machine,which consists in removing a section .of a given organ of the machinenormally arranged to handle machinecomposed matrices, composing a lineof the matrices by hand in said section, and then restoring the sectionto its original place in said organ so as to locate the matrix line inthe proper position for delivery.

GEORGE A. DOXEY.

